1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method and an image processing system, in particular, to an image processing method and an image processing system in case of correcting information concerning reproduction characteristics of print data.
2. Description of Related Art
The color reproduction characteristics of print data on a printing device such as an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) changes with the elapse of time and varies from one apparatus to another (machine difference). The following two methods have been known as automatic color correction functions for absorbing such a chronological change or machine differences of the reproduction characteristics.
The first method is a method in which the printing device automatically executes color correction in order to achieve a constant color reproduction characteristics at all times taking consideration of environment and durability effects based on the values of temperature and humidity sensors and a usage frequency counter.
The second method is to scan a test chart provided by a printing device using a measuring device, and add a profile, which is information concerning color reproduction characteristics generated from the scanning result using another tool, to a printing control device, so that the printing control device can apply color corrections to the print data using the updated profile (Unexamined Publication No. JP-A-2003-122542).
However, when the printing control device updates the profile and executes color correction in the first method mentioned above, the print data may be color-corrected for the second time by the printing device after it is corrected once by the print control device so that the color of the output from the printing device may end up different from the targeted color. For example, the “white” portion in the print data may become unable to hold the “white” value and may get colored due to differences in the method of treating “whiteness” and calculation errors when it goes through a multiple times of color correction.
On the other hand, the second method mentioned above had a problem that it was incapable of correctly reflecting the changes of conditions such as environment and durability of the printing device on the color correction.